Separation of oleo and stearin from fats



C. H. HAPGOOD.

SEPARATION OF CLEO AND STEARIN FROM FATS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, 1920.

Patented J un e 14, 1921.

I ll lllulnlll uNrrEo STATES PATENT owl-CE;

CYRUS HOWARD HAPeoon oF NUTLEY, NEW-JERSEY, Assrenon- TO THE DE LAVAL sEPARA'roR COMPANY, or NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF igEW JERSEY.

SEPARATION OLEO AND STEARIN FROM FATS.

' Application filed May 20,

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, CYRUs HOWARD HAP- coon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nutley, county ofEssex, and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improver'nent in the Separation, of Oleo and Stearin from Fats, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification. I

The object of my invention is to treat fats to effect theseparation of containd stearin and oleo. The present methods of reatment involve considerabletime and much skilled labor. My new process dispenses with most of this labor, expedites the separation, and effects the separation with a maximum degree of thoroughness.

In describing my process I shall refer to the accompanying drawing, whi ch is 2; diagram ofthe apparatus that I prefer to use. It will be understood, however, that the executionof my process is. not limited to the employment of any particular apparatus.

Itis necessaryto carryout most of the process at a temperature which does not vary much from ninety degrees F. This can most conveniently be done by maintainin the room in which the process is conducte at a temperature of about ninety degrees F..,'

reduce its temperature to approximately ninety degrees F. to completely solidify it Specification of LettersPatent. Patented J h 14 1921 1920. Serial No. 382,699.

sary to adhere if itis desired to carry out my process 1n the most preferable and advantageous way.

After the ingredients of the fat have been thoroughly mixed\ they are conveyed to a centrlfugal separator 0. The action of the separator will be to cause the heavier in gredient, the stearin, to be thrown out to the per1phery,'whi1e thelighter liquid, the oleo, Wlll be dlsplaced inwardly toward the axis of the bowl. In order that the separator shall not act merelyas a clarifier, a cushion separator to carry 01f the crystallized stearin. This cushioning llquid must be heavier than the'oleo and "is preferably also heavier than the stearin. Anideal 1i uid is water. Taking the .specific gravity 0 water as 1.00, the

ing or-carrier liquid is introduced to the Y stearin has a specific gravity of about .96 and I the' oleo a specific gravity of about .90. In

the operation of theseparator, the water will be forced againstthe periphery ofthe rotating bowl andbe discharged through a suitably located outlet. The stearinjwill move out toward the periphery and be carried alon the inner surface of the traveling cushion of water and thereby be carried out with the water. The lighter oleo, as above stated, will befdisplaced inwardly 'and be" discharged through a separate outlet. The use of water or any appropriate liquid for sludging out solidsfrom liquids in a cen In the drawing, the -water;supply tank is" shown a't' cl. It is desirable to feed to;-the

separator about as much water as there is stearin. 1

45 and bring it into the crystallized 1 condition The oleo is discharged. from the' separator desired. If the temperature is much lower than ninety degrees F., solidification. of the' oleo will commence, whereas if the tempera ture is much above ninety degrees the stearin will be in a partially liquid condition. Itybeing desired to effect the separation while the 1 oleo is liquid and the stearin in a crystalline condition, it will be understood that the specified temperature, or' one very close to it, is a critical temperature, to -which it is necese. The water and stearin are discharged into a tank f. In the tank the water and stearinwill tend to separate gravity, the water sinking to the bottom, t e stearin, with some water, floatin on the top. I prefer to connect an uprig 't pipe 1 g-to the bottom of the ound in'theBeach PatentfNo,

190 into a barrel or other apprdpriate receptacle I tank, the upper discharge end of the pipe being slightly below the level of the material in the tank,-'which continuously overflows through a pipe is, while the water continuously outflows fromthe pipe g, the principle of operation being the same as in the well known Florence flask. The water outflowing frompipe g discharges into a funnel h, whence, by means of a pump 2', it is lifted through a pipe 7' and discharged into the water tank d. The water from pipe g may be carried oil? as waste, but this is uneconomi cal, as it is at a proper temperature for re-use.

The mixture of stearin and water outflowing through pipe "is is, by means of a pump m, forced through a'pipe n into a tank 10, which is steam-jacketed to enable the material therein to be heated to a temperature of about 160 degrees F. It is .de

Sirable to elevate the material to this temperature to insure acomplete liquefaction of the stearin. The temperature in ta 0.

should not be much belowf160 degreeanor should it be much above that temperature.

Some separation of water-and stearin will be eflected, in, tank 0, by gravity, The mix-i tureof stearin and water overflows from the top into another centrifugal separator p, where the twoli'quids will be separatedan'd the stearin dischargedinto a barrel or other receptacle 4'. i

This completes the process, which, as will so-be observed, is almost wholly automatic. The separation of oleo and-stearin is clean, there is no waste of either ingredient, the operation is expeditious, "and the labor is almost wholly merely of a supervisory character.

A very importanthdvantage of my proc-,

'. 4. The process of treating fats to se arate the oleo thereoffrom thestearin t ereof ess is that the also and stearinare-recovered in a'dehydrated condition and therefore free of dirt and bacteria which would be carried over with any water. Hence these products may be stored for a substantial length of time at normal temperature without danger of decomposition.

r to separate therefrom oleo and stearin my process is not limited thereto. It is obvious that any mixed ingredients having similar characteristics are, for the purposes of my that the process is applicable to: the separation of a mixture of any ingredients one of which it is practicable to convertito solid or crystalline condition preparator to the first 5 5 centrifugal separation and to a iquid condition preparatory to the second or final cencentrifugal force and separately dischargrate the oleothereof from the stearin thereof which comprises'subjecting the fats to force to efi'ect their separation andseparate process, equivalent materials; and, further,"

ing the oleo and said heavier liquid and stearin, and-subjecting said heavier liquid and stearin to centrifugal force to separate out the stearin, 7

2. The process of treating fats to separate the oleo thereof, fromthe stearin thereof which comprises subjecting-the fats to a temperature which is suificiently high to maintain the oleo'in aliquid condition and suiliciently low to insure the crystallization of the stearimsubjecting said ingredients in such condition, together with a cushioning liquid of appropriate specific gravity, to the action of centrifugal force to eifect the separation and separate discharge of the oleo and the separate discharge of the J stearin with said cushioning liquid, and separating the stearin from said liquid.

'3. The process of'treating fats to sep aa temperature which is sufiicientl "high to maintainthe oled in a-liquid con ition and suiii'ciently low to insure the crystallization of-the stearin, subjecting said ingredients in such condition, together with a cushioning liquid of appropriate specific gravity,

a to the action of centrifugal force'to effect the separation and separate discharge of the oleo and the separate discharge of the stearin with said cushioning liquid, heating the stearin'mixed with said liquid to a temperature suflicient to liquef thestearin and subjecting said heated liquid to es trifugal discharge.

the v fats to a temperature which is s maintain the oleo in a liquid condition and sufficiently low to insure the crystallization ,of the stearin, subjecting said ingredients in lVhile I have described and claimed the process as applied tothe treatment of fats" such, condition together with a cushioning liquid of. appropriate specific gravity, to the action of centrifugal force toeffect the separation and separate discharge of the 'oleo' and the separate discharge of the stearin with; said cushioning liquid, effecting the separation of said liquid from said stearin -in"-two successive operations, and re-utilize ingtheliquid separated from the stearin in such condition, together with a cushioning liquid of apprqpriate specific gravity, to the actlon of centrifugal force to effect the septhe oleo thereof from the stearin thereof which comprises subjecting the fats to a temperature which is sufficiently high to maintain the oleo in a liquid condition and sufficiently low to insure the crystallization of' the stearin, subjecting said ingredients in such condition, together with water, to the action of centrifugal force and separately discharging the water and stearin and the oleo, heating the stearin mixed with water to a temperature sufficiently high to liquefy the stearin, and subjecting the mixture of stearin and water to centrifugal force to effect their separation.

7. The process of treating fats to separate the oleo thereof from the stearin thereof which comprises subjecting the fats to a temperature which is sufficiently high to maintain the oleo in a liquid condition and sufficiently low to insure the crystallization of the stearin, subjecting said ingredients in such condition, together with water, to the action of centrifugal force and separately discharging the water and stearinand the oleo, allowing settlement and separate outflow of the water'and separate outflow of stearin mixed with water, heating such mix ture of stearin and-Water to a temperature sufficient to liquefy the stearin, and subjecting the stearin and water to centrifugal force to effect their separation.

8. The process of treating fats to separate the oleo thereof from the stearin thereof which comprises subjecting the fats to a temperature of approximately ninety degrees and subjecting them, together with a liquid that is heavier than the oleo, to centrifugal force and separately discharging the oleo and said heavier liquid and stearin, allowing said liquid to partially separate out by gravity, leading off the mixture of liquid and stearin and subjecting it to a temperature sufficient to liquefy the stearin, and subjecting the mixed liquids to centrifugal force and separately discharging the stearin.

9. The process of treating fats to separate the oleo thereof from the stearin thereof whlch comprises subjecting the \fats and water to centrifugal force, separately discharging the oleo and the water and stearin,

separating out a part of the water, conducting the specified operations at a temperature of approxlmately ninety degrees F.,

raising the temperature of the stearin and 4 the water not separated therefrom to approximately 160 degrees.F., and subject-ing them to centrifugal force to effect their separation.

10. The process of separating a mixture of ingredients the heavier of which solidifies at a higher temperature, which comprises subjecting the mixture to a temperature which will maintain the lighter ingredient liquid and the heavier ingredient solid, subjecting said ingredients, at such tempera-' tures and in such condition, together with a cushioning liquid of appropriate specific gravity, to the action of centrifugal force to effect the separation and separate discharge of the lighter ingredient and the separate discharge of, the heavier ingredient with said cushioning liquid, heating the mixture of said heavier ingredient and cushioning liquid to a temperature sufficient to liquefy said heavier ingredient, and subjecting the heated mixture to centrifugal force to effect the separation and separate discharge of the constituents. I i

11. The process of separating a mixture of ingredients the heavier of which solidifies at a higher temperature, which comprises subjecting the mixture to a temperature which will maintain the lighter ingredient liquid and the heavier ingredient solid, subjecting said ingredients, at such-tempera: tures and in such condition, together with a cushioning liquid of appropriate specific gravity, to the action of centrifugal force to effect the separation and separate discharge of the lighter ingredient and the separate discharge of the heavier ingredient with said cushioning liquid, effecting a partial re moval of the cushioning liquid from the mixture of the heavier ingredient and such cushioning liquid, heating the mixture of such heavier ingredient and the unseparated cushioning liquid to liquefy the heavler ingredient, and subjecting the heated mixture to centrifugal force to effect the separation and separate discharge of the constituents.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand, at city of New York,

on this 17th day of May, 1920.

ovens HOWARD I-IAPGOOD. 

